Reference no: EM132213808
SI-Data Specification and Collection
The product of the last step, theory development, is a model that identifies all the variables related directly or indirectly to the goals, along with the relationships between those variables. After theory development comes the task of data gathering, which itself consists of two aspects: specification and collection. Leaders and planners first need to specify exactly what kind of data they need to collect in order to quantify their variables; after that, they need to figure out a method for collecting that data (and then, of course, collect it!).
This week you will learn how to specify appropriate data for evaluation and create interview questions and surveys to collect that data.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Evaluate appropriate data
Create interview questions and surveys
Photo Credit: [enis izgi]/[E+]/Getty Images
Learning Resources
Note: To access this week's required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Dickey, J. W., Birdsall, I. A., Larkin, G. R., & Kwang, K. S. (2015). Supernumerary intelligence: A new approach to analytics for management. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Press.
Chapter 10, "Step 4. Data Specification and Collection" (pp. 139-149)
Discussion: Step 4-Data Specification and Collection
The previous step of theory development helped you work out what questions to ask in order to address your issue. However, as explained back in the first week, analytics is about data-driven decision making, so you will need to answer those questions by gathering and analyzing the relevant data. This process of data gathering can be divided into two steps, the first of which is specifying as clearly as you can what kind of data you need and from what sources you need to gather them.
To prepare:
Consider the public policy and administration issue you have been looking at since Week 4.
Think about the type of data that would be useful to collect related to the variables and relationships identified.
With these thoughts in mind:
By Day 3
Post an explanation of 2-3 types of data that it would be beneficial to collect related to the public policy and administration issue you identified. Explain where you might find appropriate data and any difficulties you would anticipate in looking for that data.
Be sure to support your posts and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues'' posts.
By Day 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues'' posts. Provide recommendations for other types of data or make suggestions for overcoming the difficulties they discussed regarding data identification.
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 8
Assignment: Data Collection
The second step of the data-gathering process is the actual collection of the data. There are many different ways to collect data, but one that is particularly common is the questionnaire. Asking pertinent questions from a suitably large sample of people can give you the information you need to define and solve the issue you have selected.
To prepare:
Think about the public policy and administration issue you have been examining throughout the course.
Consider what questions you might ask in order to collect more data.
For this Assignment:
Identify the public policy and administration issue you want to study and create a short 10-question interview or survey that might be used to collect qualitative data. Avoid questions with "yes" or "no" answers, and ask questions that will require some thought and explanation on the part of the interviewee.
Attachment:- Discussion.rar